Uganda to hold major summit of young people living with HIV

HEALTH

Uganda is set to hold the second Y+ (young people living with HIV) Summit, aimed at confronting HIV/AIDS with bold steps.

The three-day summit will be held at Nobview Hotel, Ntinda in Kampala starting this Sunday and ending Tuesday.

Courtesy of the Uganda Network of Young People Living with HIV/AIDS (UNYPA), an NGO that empowers young people living with HIV, the summit will attract over 150 youths from across the country.

According to Nicholas Niwagaba, the executive director UNYPA, the summit seeks to give young people an authentic voice, create dedicated space and empower young people living with HIV to take life by the horns.   

"We are using the Y+ summit as a platform to build the capacity of young people living and affected with HIV and strengthen their commitment and engagement in the HIV agenda. We believe young people are the core leaders to end the HIV epidemic, and they should be at the forefront" he said.

Niwagaba regretted that Uganda is one of the countries in the world with rising prevalance despite interventions being implemented.

HIV disapproprietly affects adolescents and young women. In Uganda, as many as 575 adolescents and young women between the ages of 15 and 24 get infected with HIV on a weekly basis, according to a report by the health ministry.

"These are not girls born with HIV, but newly infected every week. When they clock 15 year,  they become vulnerable to getting HIV," Niwagaba said.

"The prevalence of HIV among adults aged 15 to 65 in Uganda is 6.2% -- 7.6% among females and 4.7% among males. This corresponds to approximately 1.2 million people aged 15 to 65 living with HIV in Uganda," he added.

According to the health ministry's estimates for 2015, HIV incidence among adolescents remains high, placed at 11,026 (11.6%).

Poverty is the leading cause of the new infections among young people, accompanied by the desires to live a good life.

Some other reasons that make this group of people to be vournalable include early marriages, unhealthy sexual relationships and partner violence.

Dr. Nelson Musoba, the executive director of Uganda AIDS Commission, will preside over the summit.

The meet will attract implementing partners, youths, the health, education and gender ministries, as well as religious and cultural leaders.

The first summit was held last year in Kampala.